Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague (R) drives past Dallas Mavericks' John Jenkins. (Photo : Getty Images)
Considering their current roster, the Dallas Mavericks have certainly outdone themselves this current season as they are now at a decent sixth place in the packed Western Conference with a 29-25 record.
However, if they want to lock a postseason spot in the wild, wild West, they need some major upgrades and foremost of which is at the no. 1 starting guard spot that is currently held by injury-prone veteran Deron Williams.
One of the point guards the Mavs are reportedly looking at right now is Jeff Teague of the Atlanta Hawks.
Fansided's Tom West suggested this trade scenario but wisely cautioned that "this won't be easy for the Mavericks to pull off by any means, so this idea is mainly here for the sake of being ambitious".
The 27-year-old Teague is arguably one of the best floor generals in the NBA last season, averaging 17.6 points (his career-high), 7.0 assists, and 1.7 steals (also a career-high) in 30.5 minutes of play a night, plus earning his first All-Star Game selection to top it all off.
This season, the former Wake Forest standout is "underperforming", though, as he is currently posting declined averages of 15.1 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.3 steals in also a decreased playing time of 28.6 minutes per game.
Some analysts blame the steady rise of his backup point guard, 22-year-old Dennis Schröder, who is reportedly being groomed by the Hawks to become their new starting playmaker as Teague is at the same time allegedly placed on the trading block.
With that, Atlanta is said to be looking for their ideal trade partner right now, as per Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix, and Dallas should be ready to dance if they want to mark their way into the playoffs.
Even with Teague's declining numbers, he is still one of the best and most efficient point guards in the league and Atlanta would naturally want some value in exchange for their slowly-becoming-expendable player.
West proposed a trade sending Teague to the Mavs in exchange for Williams and the 2015 21st overall pick Justin Anderson, who is a highly promising wingman.
With the deal, the Hawks will be able to get rid of Teague graciously and send him on a potentially contending team next season while they also receive an experienced backup and mentor for Schröder (if Williams will allow himself to be a bench player).
The addition of Anderson as flavoring for the deal will not really affect Atlanta that much while it gives Dallas an opportunity to groom who could be a reliable role player in the future.
